Quake Champions brings back the classic Quake formula that began over 20 years ago, but with the added 2017-ness of characters with abilities and cosmetic unlocks in the form of loot boxes. While it may not all gel together perfectly it's still great to that even after all these years, some things stay the same.

But by that same token some of the additions don’t really gel. Make no mistake about it, Quake Champions is a fast-paced shooter first and foremost. So, if the idea of Champion abilities makes you think of an experience along the lines of Overwatch – it’s not that at all. In fact, when playing regular Deathmatch where it’s a free-for-all frag fest ripped from a late ‘90s LAN party - your shooty skills and manoeuvrability will be more important than knowing exactly when to trigger an ability. With certain characters like Wolfenstein’s BJ Blazkowicz, whose ability allows him to dual-wield for a few seconds - effectively doubling his damage output - it’s hard to see how it all balances out against other abilities like healing auras.

Which, happens in a small circle that you can’t afford to waste one second standing still in. After all, this is Quake.

Which means that Quake Champions is about to exit its Closed Beta phase and make the move to into Early Access on Steam and the Bethesda.net launcher on Wednesday August 23. The update will also bring new maps, features and a new Champion. The mighty DOOM Slayer from the DOOM series. Cool.

Also, the full release is only months away.

"With a fast, skill-based game like Quake Champions, nothing is more important than continual testing and refining based on player feedback to ensure the game is balanced, optimized, and fun for all levels of players, from pro to new," says Tim Willits, Studio Director, id Software. "The Early Access version of Quake Champions is, obviously, a work-in-progress, but represents a solid and robust version of the game, with four modes, 11 Champions, a variety of maps, and a thriving community of fans. Early Access will allow us to work closely with players to improve the game and add additional features before the official launch of Quake Champions in the coming months."

The shift also marks the introduction of the Champions Pack, which will unlock all current and future Champions for $44.95 AUD. Which is $10 off the final retail price of $54.95 AUD. The Quake Champions’ free-to-play version will launch at a later date. But thankfully, those with access to the Closed Beta will be able to continue to play Quake Champions in free-to-play mode via Bethesda.net.

With the beta in full swing, a lot of players have assumed that when the full release happens Quake Champions will also launch exclusively via the Bethesda.net launcher. In a new Q&A posted over at the online Bethesda community, id Software has confirmed that "Quake Champions will indeed be released on Steam."

You'll still need a Bethesda.net account to play, but not the launcher. Now, normally this wouldn't be all that newsworthy but with all the big publishers releasing their own digital PC platforms -- having to juggle Battle.net, Origin, Uplay, and now the Bethesda.net launcher, in addition to Steam, can become a bit of a hassle. Of the too many icons in your system tray variety. Of course this revelation also helps shed some of negativity surrounding the Bethesda.net launcher, which feels a little slow and buggy in its current state.

In the discussion id Software also confirms that it is currently hard at work optimising all aspects of the game including working on stuff like tutorials and training maps for those that might be new to the whole Quake thing.

In other recent Quake Champions news, to go along the announcement of Wolfenstein II at E3 earlier this month, BJ Blazkowicz has been added to the roster of champions.

Quake Champions is holding a Large Scale Tech Test from May 12 to May 21, where anyone and everyone can jump in for some sweet frag action. Basically an Open Beta, all you'll need to do is sign-up, fire the ol' Bethesda Launcher, and start playing. May 12 also marks the end of the NDA currently in place, so expect to see a lot of Quake Champions stuff popping up all over the place this weekend.

The Large Scale Tech Test will also introduce a new competitive team mode called Sacrifice. And for that extra dose of old-school action the latest Champion to join the ranks is a face that should be familiar to anyone who grew up with Quake -- the Ranger.

Although now he's kinda unrecognisable with all that, you know, detail. #blurrypixelranger

In an interview with IGN, id Software's Tim Willits advised that the Quake Champions team is all prepped to setup Australian servers for the upcoming Closed Beta. That is, once the North American and European markets are taken care of. Proclaiming, "I love my Australian fans, but y’all live on the other side of the world!" he went on to advise that they're teaming up with a "major server cloud company" in Australia, and that invites to the Quake Champions beta will only go out once servers go online.

The Closed Beta for Quake Champions starts later this week for those north of the equatorial divide, which means we'll be getting in on the action a few weeks after that. id Software has advised that the Closed Beta roll-out will be a gradual one and that it will start off small. In the words of Tim Willits, "No-one panic in Australia, we got you guys covered. We will get you into the Closed Beta after we get our servers spun up in North America and Europe, but you guys are not far behind."

Nice.

And on that note, here's a look at the most recent Quake Champions reveal, Anarki, the, err, cybernetic transhuman punk that rides a hover-board. Bodacious.

But with a whatchamacallit, the option to pay money to get more stuff. In the name of all the champions for you to play with from day one in a conveniently titled 'Champions Pack'. In speaking with Polygon, id Software's Creative Director Tim Willits stated that Quake Champions is “at its core, a free-to-play game." Which, isn't all that surprising.

Currently a PC exclusive, Quake Champions looks to bring the classic multiplayer FPS franchise into the modern era. And free-to-play is certainly one way to go. As is the introduction of different Champions with unique moves and abilities for people play with.

The decision to go this route is to ensure that a wider audience gets access to the game, whilst giving fans of the series the option to get the full experience from day one. For those that go the free-to-play route, apparently the easy to acquire currency called Favor can be used to unlock additional Champions for a limited time in addition to other stuff like cosmetics.

There are still a few uncertainties about the upcoming Quake Champions in relation to the pricing model, hero units and how they impact the flow of each mach, and whether or not it will remain a PC exclusive. But, we do know that id Software/Saber Interactive's Quake Champions is a return to the fast, frenetic action of the Quake series. And that the Closed Beta will play an important role in shaping how the final game turns out.

Which we get a glimpse of in the following trailer.

Oh, and you can sign-up for the Closed Beta here, which is expected to begin in the coming weeks.

Our good mate Chris Stead who recently attended QuakeCon got an interesting bit of information out of id's Tim Willits who revealed that Quake Champions wasn't running on their id Tech 6 game engine.

Revealing the info over at Finder, Stead asked Willits about Quake Champions being "compatible with Vulkan API", which eventually lead to the revelation that Quake Champions is actually running on a hybrid id Tech-Saber Interactive engine, and that it's all about speed. So, is there a problem with speed on id Tech 6? Because Doom is very fast. Is there something more to this? Should we be worried that Saber Interactive is involved at all?

We had such success with Vulkan and Doom that Robert Duffy, our chief technology officer, was like, “alright guys, this worked out well for us. So we need to do it [with Quake].” But we still have to look at it, because Quake Champions’ technology is part id tech, but also part Saber tech. It is not on Id Tech 6 [game engine]. If it was, it would be all good with Vulkan and we would be happy.

I was never amazing at Quake, not like most of the original Mammoth/AusGamers/QGLers. Or Joab. But I damn appreciated the depth the game was played to by the punters, and with the debut gameplay trailer just emerging from QuakeCon, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it looks like it's definitely capturing the spirit of Quake 3 Arena.

id Software Studio Director Tim Willits took to the stage at QuakeCon 2016 to debut the first Quake Champions gameplay trailer. Packed with blazing-fast action and explosive rocket jumps you know and love, get first look at the game’s Champions – including new characters and franchise favorites.

In true Quake fashion, you’ll have an arsenal of powerful and unique weapons, each of which will feel familiar to long-time Quake players. There’s no loadouts, and no limit to the amount of guns you can carry. Quake Champions will be going into closed beta in 2017, so it won’t be too much longer before you’ll be able to get your hands on the heart-thumping arena-style FPS and see for yourself just how fast it is, running at 120hz with unlocked frame-rates.

We'll have much more on this badboy when our on-the-ground reporter files his content shortly, so stay tuned.